US to remove Israeli extremist Kahane group from terror blacklist
For the United States, the slaughtering of 29 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank lapses by prescription.
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The US removes Jewish extremist Kahane movement from terror blacklist
An official said Sunday that the US will remove a Jewish extremist organization related to late rabbi Meir Kahane "after years without violence" as claimed by the US administration. In 1997, three years after its follower Baruch Goldstein slaughtered 29 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Khalil, the State Department recognized Kahane Chai as a foreign terrorist organization.
Kahane, a US-born rabbi and former Israeli MP who pushed for the arbitrary expulsion of Palestinians from their own occupied land and was assassinated in New York in 1990, formed the organization.
According to an official in the State Department, the latter informed Congress it would remove the designation, as the group "has not been linked to a terrorist attack since 2005."
The State Department was also delisting the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, a Palestinian group designated as "terrorist" decades ago.
The revocation of the designations "ensures our terrorism sanctions remain current and credible and does not reflect any change in policy towards the past activities of any of these the organizations," the State Department claimed.
The Kahane Chai group is closely connected to the Israeli far-right, including MK Itamar Ben Gvir who hails the founding rabbi as a "hero". Ben Gvir is directly involved in countless provocations and assaults on Palestinians in occupied Al-Quds. In one instance, he stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.
Recently, he tweeted a repulsive statement about killing journalists in a "goal justifies the means" discourse, commenting on the murder of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Earlier, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that Itamar Ben Gvir stormed Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood in occupied Al-Quds, after transferring his office to the land of the Salem family, under the pretext of "protecting the settlers who live in the neighborhood."
Foreign terrorist organization designation significantly restricts actions in the US, including criminalizing financial assistance.
The State Department said the two groups remained on the less powerful "Specially Designated Global Terrorist list," which aids law enforcement efforts.
